Sewing Hiking Clothes

This latest one was jump-started when my mom, sister-in-law, and I decided to go on a vacation together next summer. We plan on walking the Great Glen Way in Scotland, which is a path some friends have traveled and highly recommended.

Of course after signing off on the dates and the cost of the trip, the next question in my mind is “WHAT DOES ONE WEAR ON A WALKING PATH IN SCOTLAND?”

The answers that I’ve gathered include: long pants, waterproof items, comfortable/breathable activewear, and sturdy shoes that are well-broken-in.

Which is similar to the list of requirements for hiking gear, something that I theoretically use frequently but which has historically eluded me. (I generally hike in cotton leggings or running shorts.)

Why has hiking gear eluded me in the past?
-I am a lady, and the availability of technical gear for women hasn’t always been great. It’s getting better, of course, but…
-I am a tall lady. Maybe 10% of technical gear made for women is also available in longer lengths. (Let’s not even discuss whether they think to increase the rise in addition to lengthening the inseam.)
-I am larger than a size 10. Back when I was still a size 10 – aka when I was a teenager – I would go to outdoor stores and only fit into the LARGEST PANT SIZE.

So, over the past decade, I’ve mostly avoided the hunt for hiking pants. I would occasionally find something that sort-of-worked, but the other reality is that technical gear is EXPENSIVE. I’m not willing to spend $100+ on a pair of pants that sort-of-work.

Having tackled jeans-making in the last six months (hello, neglected blog, I have definitely not told you about this), I’m feeling much more confident in my ability to tackle this project. However, the jeans were made by using an incredible indie pattern AND some thorough teaching tools. So my first step in this process was to research the heck out of it! Since I found a lot of small pieces of information in various places, I figured it could be helpful to share them here. Stay tuned!